chapter thirty-eight
nightmare on morehead street
(rest in peace)
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HAWKINS IS EERILY QUIET, FOR SPRING break, as the three girls drive into the centre. Ruby hasn't been here for months, save her drive when she returned home a couple days ago, so the differences in Hawkins take her out. Shops, despite the mall being bulldozed, are still quiet and unkempt, painted signs faded from the suns of many summers. Grassy patches near the town hall, which should be green and decorated with flowers, have patches of dried-out mud, like no one cares to look after it. And, at last, various Hawkins signs vandalised, someone spray-painting HELL onto them. For a town Ruby doesn't like, she can't help but feel bad.
They arrive at the library, sitting around the corner from the town hall. There's no cars around — which again, for the town centre during spring break, is shocking. Ruby remembers this place sprawling with teenagers, before the mall took over and then the stories about the town turning everywhere into a wasteland.
The three get out of the car, Nancy walking straight ahead without them. Ruby exchanges a confused glance with Robin; Ruby gets that for whatever reason, Nancy doesn't like Robin, but why is she taking it out on her? What did Ruby do? And, anyway, what is Nancy's deal? Ruby knows Nancy was iffy about Robin last summer, thinking she had a think for Harrington, but Robin can't do that now, she's friends with Ruby (and knows Ruby has the ability to kill her.) Ruby thinks it's so weird.
But, Robin's not one to give up. She does a little run to catch up to Nancy, trying to talk to her about her grand theory.
"Help me get this straight." Robin looks across at Nancy; Ruby can feel the irritation seeping out of Nancy's bones. "Eddie's uncle, Wayne, thinks that Victor Creel escaped from Pennhurst Asylum and that he's the one running around committing these murders?"
"Pretty much," says Nancy, through gritted teeth.
Robin opens the library door, holding it open for the other two. "But Victor committed the eyeball murders, like, way back in the 50s."
"Well, '59."
Nancy avoids Robin's eye contact, slipping past her. Ruby gets to the door, and smiles weakly at Robin. Ruby was the shit at Hawkins High, she knows a thing or two about icing someone out — and Nancy is making her feel uncomfortable.
The three walk into the library. There's a couple of people about, an old man reading something Shakespearian. The smell of printer ink and old books fills Ruby's nose. She leans against the front desk, already wishing they could go. Spending the day with my ex would be less painful than this, she thinks.
"So, that means these murders predate Eleven in the Upside Down by about thirty years?" says Robin.
Nancy nods. "Yeah."
"Which makes spooky Victor Creel like... seventy years old."
"Yep."
Nancy dings the bell at the library's front desk.
Robin places her arms on the front desk, resting her head on her hand. "So, he's... a grandpa murderer, who can turn invisible and lift people into the air."
"It doesn't make sense, I know..." Nancy looks across at Robin, smiling through gritted teeth. Ruby frowns. Was she this bad last year? She didn't like Robin, sure... but it was her boyfriend she thought Robin was crushing on. Nancy, however? What's her deal? "That's why I said it was a shot in the dark."
Nancy presses the bill again.
"I know... I just thought that by 'shot in the dark,' you were being modest or hiding something super solid up your sleeve that you were gonna wow us with later," says Robin. Ding-ding! "But this is really, truly a shot in the dark. Like, we are snipers with blindfolds on who've been spun around fifty times."
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding—
"Coming!"
The librarian walks out front, carrying a stack of books. Ruby, who had her back turned, moves around. As she does so, she glances again at Robin, making sure she doesn't look upset about all of this. Nancy's being mean, Robin's scrambling to make things work, Ruby's feeling irritated that her two friends aren't getting along. Plus, Robin reminds Ruby of a lonely kitten in an animal shelter trying to make friends, which apparently is making Ruby feel protective.
"Hi, sorry, we're in a bit of a rush," says Nancy, forcing a smile at the librarian. "Could we get the keys to the basement archives?"
"Of course. Give me one sec."
The librarian wanders off to retrieve the keys.
Ruby shrugs, trying to clear the air. "Maybe Victor Creel's like me. He wouldn't even have to escape Pennhurst..."
"But wouldn't your grandpa know about that?" says Nancy.
Ruby remembers she needs to pretend he's dead. But, before she can convincingly go, "Ah, yes, my dead grandfather (rest in peace) would definitely know. This cannot be true, for my dead grandfather (rest in peace) would have locked him up in the lab," Robin turns to Nancy.
"Did I come off mean, or condescending?" says Robin.
Ruby's taken by surprise. She didn't think Robin would actually say something—
"No."
"Right. Sorry. It's just, you seem annoyed," says Robin, her voice shaking slightly. "You don't know me well. I don't really have a filter or a strong grasp of social cues."
"... Okay."
"If I say something that upsets you, just know that I know it's a flaw. Believe me, my mother reminds me daily."
Nancy's still not into it. She says, "Got it."
And, at that, the librarian returns, passing the keys over to Nancy.
"All right, ladies, here you go," she says, smiling at the three. If only she knew, Ruby thought. "Have fun."
"We'll try," says Ruby, casting Nancy a glare.
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"OKAY. SHE'S IN."
"I'm missing collarbones, not eyes."
Steve and Dustin sit in the elder's car, parked across the cul-de-sac to the high school counsellor. Max is invited inside by the lady; Steve's turned the engine and radio off, to make them seem as inconspicuous as possible. He watches the red door close shut, the rest of the street deadly quiet — a normal sight since the mall burning down, but weird for spring break, right?
"So," says Henderson. "We gonna talk about... it?"
"Huh?" Steve looks over, his brows furrowing. "Sorry, talk about what?"
"Your temporary insanity earlier today, when you basically threw yourself at Ruby?"
Steve shakes his head. "That's not what happened."
"Pretty sure that's what happened," says Henderson. "It was public. There were a lot of witnesses."
Steve stiffens. There's a voice in his head that goes, be cool, but then, what is he needing to be cool about? He doesn't like Ruby anymore, not like that. It wouldn't work out, he doesn't need to pretend he isn't interested because he isn't—
"Are you implying I still have a thing for Ruby?" he asks.
"No. I'm not implying, I'm stating," says Henderson. Steve scoffs, disagreeing completely. "And, as it relates to your steadfast refusal to date Robin, it's pretty much the only logical explanation."
"That's not the only one," says Steve, under his breath. "And as for Ruby, I was just trying to protect a friend. A friend, Henderson. Okay?"
"Okay," says Henderson, quietly.
"Don't wanna find her with her eyes sucked out of her skull by this Vecna creep—"
Henderson giggles. "You're bright red in the face right now."
Steve is. His entire face feels like it's burning.
"I'm not... I don't wanna talk about it. I'll punch you so hard your teeth will fall back out."
Henderson pauses for a second. "Whoa. Too far."
Steve shakes his head, embarrassed with himself. "Not cool, sorry."
"Not cool, it's okay."
The two look ahead for a few more minutes, waiting for Max to appear out-front. As the time passes, Steve keeps on thinking about earlier. He didn't throw himself at Ruby, did he? He didn't mean to. He just... was concerned. Ruby almost died last year, and yeah, he has no intention in getting back together with her (in spite of the other day's events), but he still has the right to be worried. Is no one else? The girl was possessed by a monster, almost died, and went M.I.A. for months! He thinks there's grounds for him to be worried...
"So... how come you and Ruby showed up at the video store together?"
Steve wants to die.
"I don't wanna talk about it," he says.
"Did you guys...?" Henderson trails off, moving his eyebrows up and down suggestively. Steve doesn't say anything, instead staring ahead, to which Henderson chuckles. "Ahhhh. I see! You tiger." He rolls his 'r' like a cat.
Steve glares at him. "What did I say?"
"No talking..." Henderson looks away, but Steve knows he's holding back laughter. "... Just like you and Ruby the other night—"
"Henderson!"
He wouldn't be making these jokes if Ruby was around, Steve bitterly thinks, and for the first time in a while, wishes he was spending the day with her.
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SHE WONDERS WHAT HARRINGTON'S doing, as she wanders through the Hawkins Library basement. An hour into Robin and Nancy's bickering, Ruby remembered she had left her headphones in her bag, which made the following four hours a little less mind-numbing. She's been sifting through the weirder newspapers, her mind drawn to The Weekly Watcher for whatever reason, as Jimi Hendrix sings into her ears.
Ruby is a particular fan of the Victor Creel theory, largely because it means there isn't another Mind Flayer-type creature roaming around. She doesn't quite understand how an old man could (a) break out of an insane asylum, and (b) ruthlessly kill two teenagers, but she doesn't care for the details. Ruby likes the idea that this Victor guy has powers like her. It would it easier, really, stopping him. One call with her grandpa, and Victor's toast. As dead as Chrissy and Fred... No, Ruby takes that back. That's too far.
She can't help but think about her ex-boyfriend, though, as she scans through the headlines in another copy of The Weekly Watcher. Why was he being so possessive earlier? Is that her fault, for stupidly sleeping with him? Does he think they're going to get back together now? He didn't seem interested in anything like that, so why was he acting so weird—?
Ruby's eyes land on the headline in front of her.
VICTOR CREEL CLAIMS VENGEFUL DEMON KILLED FAMILY
Her jaw drops.
She pulls her headphones off, and runs up the stairs back to Nancy and Robin, who are using the machines up there to read more commercialised newspapers. They look up, having not seen nor spoken to Ruby in hours.
"Guys."
Nancy frowns. Robin's eyes light up.
"Did you find something?"
Ruby nods excitedly. "Come, come!"
She runs back down the stairs, and the two follow, to the desk she had discovered two years ago, slotted between a supply closet and the town's electoral archives. Ruby points to the screen, excitement consuming her as she waits impatiently for Nancy and Robin to come and look. If this is it, they can leave, she can go home!
Nancy frowns, seeing the newspaper name on the top of the screen. "Since when did Hawkins Library have The Weekly Watcher?"
"Holy shit." Robin had just gotten to the bottom step, but having heard Weekly Watcher, she dashes towards Ruby and Nancy. "I can't believe they have this."
Ruby looks up, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, are you a fan?"
Robin gives her a funny look. "OK, first of all, you sounded exactly like Steve there, which is freaky," she says. "Second, yes, I am."
"But they write about, like, Bigfoot and UFOs...?"
"UFOs are absolutely real. Bigfoot I'm still on the fence about — and may I remind you, Miss-Subject-X, that we are looking for information on dark wizards? If someone's gonna write about that, it's gonna be these weirdos... Which they did, so ha-ha, I'm right."
"Well, I found it," says Ruby, casting her a dirty look.
Robin looks over her shoulder, who reads aloud, "'According to several insiders, Victor believed his house was haunted by an ancient demon... Victor allegedly hired a priest to exorcise the demon from his home.' Pretty novel for the 50s. Exorcist wasn't out yet."
"Keep... Keep going."
Ruby wraps her hand around the computer's dial, moving it to show the next section of the newspaper. Nancy and Robin stand at either side of her, reading over her shoulder.
"Okay, so Victor claimed this exorcism failed, but it angered this demon, which then murdered his family, removing their eyes. Victor believed he was spared as a punishment."
"That's pretty convenient for Victor," Nancy mutters.
Ruby's brows furrow, shaking her head. "No, no, no... Victor was declared legally insane, right? What if this is why? It sounds insane..."
Behind her, Robin nods. "It just didn't go public because—"
"The plea bargain," says Nancy. "The records were sealed."
"Maybe a demon did invade Victor's home," says Ruby. Her stomach twists, the anxiety of another monster eating her insides. Her lovely wish of a crazy man with powers was wrong. "It's just, this demon wasn't any old demon..."
"It was Vecna," says Nancy.
The girls grab their belongings and high-tail it outside, the fresh air warmly welcoming Ruby back to society. Robin pulls a walkie-talkie out from her bag (since when did she have that?) as she speaks to Dustin.
"Dustin, do you copy? Nancy's a genius. Vecna's first victims date back all the way to 1959. Her shot in the dark was a bull's-eye—"
"Okay, that's totally bonkers, but I can't really talk right now."
Ruby looks over, her brows furrowing. Before she can stop herself, she's snatched the Walkie-Talkie from Robin's hands, pushing the bottom down.
"Put Steve on," she says.
"You're meant to say over," says Dustin.
"Henderson, I swear I will—"
"Hey, we can't talk right now," says Harrington.
Ruby glares at the Walkie-Talkie.
"Yes, you can. What are you doing?"
"Breaking and entering school to retrieve confidential and extremely personal files," says Harrington, casually. "You know, like we always do."
"We leave you alone for five hours, and you break into a school?"
Ruby can hear him grumbling through the machine.
"Just get over here. We'll explain everything."
She hands the Walkie-Talkie back to Robin, grumbling.
"Dumbass," she mutters.
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CUT TO TWENTY MINUTES LATER — Ruby, Harrington, Nancy, Dustin, and Robin stand behind Max in the Hawkins High School hallway, her eyes fixed to a dead end. Harrington's shining a torch in the direction of the wall, where Max claimed she saw a grandfather clock, peering out of the wall itself. She made it seem as though it was inside the wall, seeping out; Ruby thought of those pictures of trees that have grown around bikes.
"It was here," says Max. "Right here."
"A grandfather clock?"
"It was so real." Max shakes her head. She looks back at the group, her eyes noticeable glassy, even in the low light. "And then, when I got closer, suddenly I just... I woke up."
Harrington nods. "It was like she was in a trance or something."
Ruby looks across at him, feels on-edge. He looks freaked-out... Part of her wishes she could reach out to him, but she knows she can't.
"Exactly what Eddie said happened to Chrissy."
"That's not even the bad part," says Max.
Max leads Ruby, Nancy, and Robin back to the guidance counsellor's office, where Chrissy and Fred's files have been strewn out on the desk. Ruby skims over them, a frown etched into her face, as Max looks across at the three girls, filling them in on what they've missed.
"Fred and Chrissy, they both came to Miss Kelley for help. They were both having headaches, bad ones that wouldn't go away. And then... the nightmares, trouble sleeping. They'd wake up in a cold sweat. And then they started seeing things — bad things from their past. These visions, they just... They kept on getting worse and worse until eventually... Everything ended."
"Vecna's curse," says Ruby, uneasy.
Max looks across at her. "Chrissy's headache started a week ago. Fred's, six days ago. I've been having them for five days. I don't know how long I have. All I know is that for Fred and Chrissy, they both died less than twenty-four hours after their first vision. And I just saw that goddamn clock, so... looks like I'm gonna die tomorrow."
Something smashes in the hallway.
Ruby spins around. Everyone falls silent; Ruby and Steve exchange a glance, both of them starting towards the door. She remembers their promise from a couple years ago. Burning buildings.
"Stay here," Steve tells the others.
The two quietly step out into the hallway, Steve grabbing the lamp from the office as a weapon. Ruby silently moves forwards, trying to use her mind's intuition to figure out whatever it is. She doesn't feel as if it's anything from the Upside Down, but then, what if this creature is smarter, and knows a way to get past her—?
Someone jumps out into the hallway. Ruby screams, just as Steve's hand pulls her backwards, towards him. She regains control over herself, as the sudden figure morphs into Lucas, who lets out, "It's me!"
"Lucas?"
"It's me, it's me!" he says, waving his hands hurriedly.
"Jesus, what is wrong with you?" Steve shouts at him.
Ruby puts a hand on her heart. "You almost gave me a heart attack! At nineteen!"
"I'm sorry!"
"I could've taken you out with this lamp!"
Ruby looks to the side, and raises an eyebrow. "How far did you expect to go, with that plugged in?" she says.
"Because you would've waited for me to unplug it?" says Steve.
Ruby shrugs. "Touché."
"Sorry, guys. Sorry." Lucas puts his hands up again, before he moves to the side of the hallway, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. "I was... I was biking for eight miles," he says through pants. "Give me a second. Shit." Ruby looks across at Steve, who as annoyed as she is. "We've got a code red."
"What?"
Ruby looks behind her, to find the rest of the party standing behind them. God, does that mean they just saw Steve grabbing Ruby? She just knows Robin and Dustin aren't going to let that go.
"I've been with Jason, Patrick, and Andy, and they've gone totally off the rails," says Lucas, referring to the basketball jocks. "They're trying to capture Eddie — and Dustin, they think you know where he is. You're in terrible danger."
"All right," says Dustin. "That definitely sucks, but we've got bigger problems than Jason now."
No one asks why only Dustin is in danger, but whatever — they grab their stuff and sneak back out, Ruby, this time, refusing to go in any car but Steve's.
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